Decrease in quality of Delta customer service?
Nov 12, 2021 | 12:21 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southern California
Programs: United MileagePlus Premier 1K, Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion
Posts: 1,537
Is there anything that hasn’t gotten worse, since the pandemic…. Or am I alone in thinking that most aspects of the Delta experience has dramatically declined from late 2019.
Nov 12, 2021 | 12:27 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 6,458
I still find that the vast majority of DL associates I interact with are first class and the overall experience is mostly the same except for on-board refreshments.
Nov 12, 2021 | 3:33 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: CMH/CVG
Programs: Marriott, Southwest, American, Delta, Amtrak,Multiple others
Posts: 587
All of the problems I've experienced lately have been caused by noticeable problems with their software programming. I've had two schedule changes for confirmed non-stop flights in which they rebooked me on connections, rather than putting me on the non-stop that was leaving at a slightly different time. In the past, they kept me on the non-stop in the same seats. I was unable to change it on the website and had to wait for two hours to speak to an agent on the elite line. She was very helpful but I assume a lot of the excess volume of calls are caused by similar problems that could easily be eliminated by going back to their previous programming systems.
We had another programming problem last week flying back from RSW. I was traveling with my wife on the same reservation. We had confirmed exit row seats. I have automatic upgrade requests in my profile. I assumed they wouldn't upgrade either of us to EP unless we would both be upgraded and seated together. Instead, they upgraded each of us to a center seat in different rows. I've also noticed that they no longer offer the ability to only request EP upgrade if aisle or window seat were available. These are major flaws in their programming that create unnecessary negative experiences for their loyal customers.
We had another programming problem last week flying back from RSW. I was traveling with my wife on the same reservation. We had confirmed exit row seats. I have automatic upgrade requests in my profile. I assumed they wouldn't upgrade either of us to EP unless we would both be upgraded and seated together. Instead, they upgraded each of us to a center seat in different rows. I've also noticed that they no longer offer the ability to only request EP upgrade if aisle or window seat were available. These are major flaws in their programming that create unnecessary negative experiences for their loyal customers.
Nov 12, 2021 | 3:51 pm
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 102,617
iMessage has been with the B team players lately. Asking to swap upgrade instruments from MUA to GUC to switch to airport standby list... Used to be a one text, one reply. Now met with just dense material:
Well, if I show up at the airport 2 hours before the flight, I definitely won't be on that airport standby list for a GUC instead of trying to clear days earlier with a Mileage Upgrade. I find myself training the text message agents ad infinitum.
I will say this - previously, the 'man' greeting to the DL DM line was the way to get seated with a good desk agent... and now I find the opposite, the super trained folks are the ones answering the 'woman' greeting line and I prefer it and hang up to seek it out. We know more about their business than they do - that's the biggest problem right now.
I was on a short haul flight recently in paid F and the Left Seat announced prior to departure that given the short duration of the flight, and expected turbulence, no cabins would be receiving any service as he'd asked the FAs to stay seated for the flight. No problem, but when the announcement was made, the door was still open and I asked the dedicated FC attendant if perhaps given that announcement he would be willing to scrounge us up a pre departure beverage, given we'd have none in the air - and he literally sang a sing song of "We don't have to dooooo that anyyymoooooreeeeee!"
And I was absolutely embarrassed, because my companion had never flown DL before, let alone FC, and all I had done was sing their praises on the way from the car to the SkyClub to the flight. To have that "song" sung back to me was pretty demoralizing. On the way out the door as we were first off he said "I'm training new FAs in the back and can't have them catching bad habits." -- Which -- is true -- to an extent, that he would be doing something not "by the book" - but I always found DL FAs to make the best of bad situations in the name of customer service before and now I'm pretty sure my companion is locked into AA/AS forever now.
Well, if I show up at the airport 2 hours before the flight, I definitely won't be on that airport standby list for a GUC instead of trying to clear days earlier with a Mileage Upgrade. I find myself training the text message agents ad infinitum.
I will say this - previously, the 'man' greeting to the DL DM line was the way to get seated with a good desk agent... and now I find the opposite, the super trained folks are the ones answering the 'woman' greeting line and I prefer it and hang up to seek it out. We know more about their business than they do - that's the biggest problem right now.
I was on a short haul flight recently in paid F and the Left Seat announced prior to departure that given the short duration of the flight, and expected turbulence, no cabins would be receiving any service as he'd asked the FAs to stay seated for the flight. No problem, but when the announcement was made, the door was still open and I asked the dedicated FC attendant if perhaps given that announcement he would be willing to scrounge us up a pre departure beverage, given we'd have none in the air - and he literally sang a sing song of "We don't have to dooooo that anyyymoooooreeeeee!"
And I was absolutely embarrassed, because my companion had never flown DL before, let alone FC, and all I had done was sing their praises on the way from the car to the SkyClub to the flight. To have that "song" sung back to me was pretty demoralizing. On the way out the door as we were first off he said "I'm training new FAs in the back and can't have them catching bad habits." -- Which -- is true -- to an extent, that he would be doing something not "by the book" - but I always found DL FAs to make the best of bad situations in the name of customer service before and now I'm pretty sure my companion is locked into AA/AS forever now.